Whenever we open up staff positions on Zelda Universe, we often get lots of applications in our inbox. However, we also receive a ton of questions about these positions, as well as responses from people who are interested but are hesitant to commit. With this in mind, we took note of all of your questions, and hopefully, we have also removed many of the barriers people faced previously.
We currently have two positions available: News Reporter, and Columnist.
Being a news reporter means helping spread the word and sharing your thoughts on all the latest Zelda and Nintendo news to your fellow fans. Columnists provide opinionated content on Zelda-related fanworks, trivia, gaming highlights, as well as their favorite Zelda characters and locations.
If you love to play Zelda and write about games, this is a huge opportunity to have your work read by thousands of other Zelda fans like you!
Following this little preamble, you’ll find an FAQ that should make details of these positions clearer than ever. We are also striving to make this opportunity more accessible than ever to everyone — regardless of your availability or writing experience — by removing many of our old requirements.
If you are interested — even if you were hesitant about applying before — read on for our comprehensive FAQ!
General FAQ
Q: How do the writing teams at Zelda Universe operate?
All of the content you see on the Zelda Universe home page is published using WordPress. If you’ve never used WordPress before, it is very easy to learn and we can run you through the whole process. You do not need to set up your own WordPress account; we’ll be setting you up with your own WordPress account specifically for Zelda Universe.
We use an instant messaging application called Slack for the majority of our teams’ communication. If you’ve never used Slack before, it works similarly to Discord or Skype, with various channels for each team.
We also use Trello to coordinate all of our drafts, projects, and ideas. Each team has its own Trello board. Again, we’ll set this up for you and you will receive an invite to our own Trello boards.
Q: What equipment will I need for this position?
A working computer and an internet connection – that’s it!
Q: I love to write but I don’t have much past experience. Will I still be considered?
Yes! While we’re interested in seeing any previously published works or articles, there are still many ways you can demonstrate your writing abilities. You can send us any blogs, essays, fictional works, or any pieces you are proud of.
If you’re still short on samples, we are also very interested in seeing any mock articles you can produce for the site. If you are interested in writing news, for example, you could try your hand at your own news articles and attach them to your email, or if you want to write columns, you could send us your own Medli’s Melodies (or whichever column takes your fancy). Just take a look at our previously published articles on the home page to get a feel for our format, and give it a shot!
Q: I am interested in writing but I am nervous about taking this step and/or I am very anxious in general. Would this be a problem?
Not at all! The Zelda Universe staff are an incredibly friendly and approachable group of people, with Zelda fans of all ages. We’re all willing to make new friends, and we are all more than happy to answer any questions and help you to make the best articles possible. As long as you love to write and you love Zelda, you have nothing to worry about.
The majority of our communication is through Slack (our instant messaging service of choice), and we don’t require anyone to speak to us through a headset or appear in a video call if they don’t want to.
Q: My time is limited and I’m not sure I can commit. How much am I expected to contribute?
We understand that, as volunteers, you are donating your free time to support the website. We respect this, and we realize that there will be times when life gets in the way and you may need to take a break. We won’t impose targets on you or set you a minimum output per week — just do what you can! We only ask that you remain in consistent contact with us and let us know if your availability might drop.
Q: Can I apply for both roles?
Yes! You are welcome to contribute to both teams. Also, if you decide that a role isn’t for you, you can transfer to the other.
Q: What are the perks of writing for Zelda Universe?
Zelda Universe has thousands of regular readers and social media followers, and you will gain a large exposure for your work as a result. You will have a large platform to establish a respectable body of work for yourself.
Experience is essential for those seeking work in the video game journalism industry, and our staff are more than happy to help you improve your writing as you go. We have had a number of Zelda Universe staff members go on to gain amazing positions in the industry, including jobs at Nintendo.
We also regularly promote our most committed staff members with editor roles. Those with leading roles on the site are often given the chance to attend E3 with the Zelda Universe team.
Q: I’m interested in applying but I’m just too busy at the moment. Can I apply at another time?
Of course! We accept new volunteers all year round.
Q: I’m not interested in either of these positions, but I would still like to contribute to Zelda Universe in some way. Are there any other positions available?
While we’re primarily looking for news reporters and columnists at the moment, there may be other positions available on our Volunteer page. If you prefer writing long-form, in-depth articles on Zelda, you can apply for the Features team, for example. If you want to use your extensive knowledge of Zelda games, you can apply for the Guides team.
There are also many non-writing-related opportunities at Zelda Universe, including design, media, and development positions.
Q: I have another question that hasn’t been addressed here.
If there is anything else you would like us to clarify regarding the position(s) described here, please send us an email to jobs@zeldauniverse.net with the subject line “Application question,” or feel free to reach out to me on Twitter.
Q: I applied before but was not accepted. Should I try again?
Definitely! Don’t be discouraged if you didn’t make the cut before. Give it another shot.
News reporter FAQ
Q: What type of news should I be looking for and writing about?
As a Legend of Zelda fansite, we obviously want to cover all news pertaining to the franchise. This includes new details of upcoming Zelda games, merchandise, and other official media such as the manga series.
We cover other games which feature Zelda characters or themes, such as the Super Smash Bros. series, Mario Kart 8, and the Animal Crossing series. There are also many Zelda-likes and action-adventure games similar to Zelda out there, and we like to cover games that our audience may be interested in.
The Zelda community is always thriving with creativity, and we try to celebrate this as much as we can. We feature art, crafts, music, animations, theories, speedrun records, newly discovered glitches/exploits/secrets, Zelda-themed charity streams, and much more from this highly talented fanbase.
On top of all this, we also like to keep our readers informed on general Nintendo topics, such as new hardware, company news, interviews, financial reports, and more. Though we may seem solely dedicated to a single franchise, there is a huge variety of things for our reporters to write about!
Q: Where should I look for news stories?
Though we do encourage reporters to follow news sources as much as they can, you won’t be required to constantly seek out news or find every story yourself. We have an internal “news bin” which is updated daily by our editors, and you are welcome to choose any news story you wish from there.
We use many different sources when reporting news, ranging from various gaming websites, social media platforms, YouTube, as well as our email inbox. As long as it is a verified source, you are welcome to use your favorite websites for news stories.
Columnist FAQ
Q: What are the different columns?
- Medli’s Melodies focuses on the discussion and celebration of the musical tracks from the Zelda series. These can be from the official soundtracks, or fan-made covers and compositions.
- Zelda’s Study focuses on trivia, game history, development history, and other types of informative topics.
- Tingle’s Maps focuses on the discussion, description, and exploration of locations found in Zelda games. These can be anything from wide-open areas and sprawling dungeons, to the small crevices and secret caves littered across Zelda worlds.
- Realm of Memories gives you the chance to share memories of your favorite moments from the series. Memories of intense boss battles, epic cutscenes, hilarious moments, and frustrating puzzles are good examples of what can be written about and shared.
- Yuga’s Art Gallery focuses on the appreciation of official and fan-made art. This includes traditional and digital art, crafts, cosplay, animation, and much more.
- Bombers’ Notebook is a column about exploring the depth and history of the fascinating characters that appear in The Legend of Zelda.
You can click on any of the column names to see all of our previously published articles in that category.
Q: How often are these columns published?
We typically aim to publish an article of each of these series once a week at a minimum. The regular schedule is as follows:
- Medli’s Melodies: Mondays
- Zelda’s Study: Tuesdays
- Tingle’s Maps: Wednesdays
- Realm of Memories: Thursdays
- Yuga’s Art Gallery: Fridays
- Bombers’ Notebook: Saturdays
Contributors for each of these columns take it in turns each week to publish an article. We call these “rotations.”
Q: How do the “rotations” work and how frequently will I be publishing?
Contributors are placed in rotations on our schedule sheet. So, for example, if there were six different contributors for Medli’s Melodies (including you), you would publish an article every six weeks. The number of contributors for each column varies and are always subject to change, but there are usually at least four contributors in any given rotation. So, by joining a rotation, expect to publish an article in that series around once a month.
You can join as many rotations as you wish, but to give you an idea of a manageable workload, most of our staff members join around three rotations. You can also always opt-out or change your rotations at any time.
Q: Am I limited to these scheduled rotations?
Absolutely not! These rotations are in place to maintain a balanced output week-by-week, but you can submit additional articles at any time. You can request a specific day to publish, or if you have no preference, we often use Sundays to publish extra articles.
How to apply
If you are interested in either (or both) positions, please send us your application to jobs@zeldauniverse.net with one of the following subject headers:
- “News Reporter Application” for the news reporter position
- “Columnist Application” for the columnist position
- “News/Columnist Application” for both
Please include:
- Your name
- Your age
- Your resume (or an overview of your qualifications and work experience)
- [Columnists only]: Which columns you are interested in writing for
Please also provide at least one of the following:
- Samples (articles, blogs, essays, fictional works, etc.)
- Mock drafts of Zelda Universe articles based on the topic(s) you want to write about
It may take us a little while for us to select the most suitable applicants, so please don’t feel discouraged if we don’t respond straight away. It may take up to a week or longer before we select you.
We’re very professional about what we do here, but we also have a ton of fun while doing it! We have a highly talented and very friendly team ready to welcome you.
Thank you for reading, and best of luck to all of our applicants!
